A candidate in Ecuador’s upcoming presidential election, Fernando Villavicencio, was assassinated at a campaign event in Quito, Ecuador on Wednesday, August 9, 2023.
President Guillermo Lasso confirmed the tragic incident on social media, vowing that the killing will not go unpunished.
Villavicencio was shot dead at a Movimiento Construye political rally at a school north of the capital Quito, campaign team members Cristian Zurita and Rodrigo Figueroa said.
Villavicencio, 59, was a critical voice against corruption. He was gunned down 10 days before the first round of the presidential election was set to take place on August 20.
The moment Villavicencio was shot appears to have been captured on video circulating on social media.
The footage shows Villavicencio walking away from the campaign rally toward a vehicle surrounded by several police officers and a crowd of onlookers. As he gets into the backseat of the vehicle, at least 12 gunshots can be heard. A policeman quickly closes the door behind Villavicencio and many people are seen taking cover from the gunfire, including his security detail.
President Lasso said he is “outraged and shocked” by Villavicencio’s killing.
“My solidarity and condolences to his wife and his daughters. For his memory and his fight, I assure you that this crime will not go unpunished,” Lasso said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
The President said he had called an urgent meeting of his security cabinet to discuss the assassination.
“Organized crime has come a long way, but the full weight of the law will fall on them,” Lasso said.
Seven of the eight presidential candidates, including Villavicencio, were under police protection, Ecuador’s Interior Minister Juan Zapata said earlier this week, local media reported Tuesday.
Villavicencio was a legislator in the country’s National Assembly before it was dissolved by Lasso in May, leading to early elections.
Lasso had faced an impeachment vote over accusations from opposition legislators of embezzlement before he took office, which he denies.
The assassination comes as Ecuador struggles with a deteriorating security crisis that has seen a deadly escalation of violence and crime fueled by drug trafficking and a turf war between rival criminal organizations.
